1. Field
The following description relates to a washing machine having a detergent supply device to supply a detergent to the inside of the washing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
A washing machine is an appliance that washes laundry using electric power. In general, a washing machine comprises a tub to store wash water, a drum rotatably mounted in the tub, a pulsator rotatably mounted on a bottom of the drum, and a motor to rotate the drum and the pulsator.
After laundry and wash water containing a detergent are put in the drum, the drum and the pulsator are rotated by the motor, and the pulsator stirs the laundry placed in the drum together with the wash water to remove dirt from the laundry.
In general, a detergent supply device of a drum washing machine includes a detergent storage unit to store at least one of a solid detergent and a liquid detergent, and a water supply unit to supply water to the detergent storage unit. The water supply unit includes an upper frame and a lower frame that may be thermal welded to each other to prevent water leakage.
However, if the upper frame and the lower frame of the water supply unit may not be perfectly thermal welded, water leakage through an imperfectly welded portion may occur when a pressure of water supplied from an external water source is relatively high. Due to the water leakage, water to be supplied to only a solid detergent may be undesirably supplied to a liquid detergent or a fabric softener. Therefore, a user may not obtain desired washing result. In addition, a thermal welding process with respect to the upper and lower frames may increase manufacturing costs.